Happy 6th Birthday Miller

Dear Miller,

How is it possible that you are already 6 years old? Stealing kisses and hugs from you is getting harder and harder, which makes me sad.  You learned so much in kindergarten this year.  You made some great friends.  You proved to me that I probably worry about you too much.  You just finished your third season of baseball.  You really enjoyed playing and would have liked it if there was a game every day.  You are happiest when you are playing some sort of ball.  You love playing any type of game.  You are learning to read, but do not have much patience.  Eventhough you are doing great, it's definitely not your favorite thing to do.   Your feelings are easily hurt, which always breaks my heart.  Your smile can light up a room.  I am so proud of the little boy you have become.

I hope you had the best birthday ever.  I love you so, so much.

Mom



Miller's birthday was actually on Saturday, but we were out of town. So I am just now getting his birthday post up.

Happy 6th birthday Millerman.  

Miller's First Day of Kindergarten

Well today is the big day, Miller's first day of kindergarten. It is only a half day, but we are one step closer. Friday will be his first full day. I really can't believe it. It still seems surreal to me.





He did much better than I had expected. I am happy to report there were no tears shed by either of us. I could tell he was just barely holding it together, but knew he would be fine once they were all set up in the classroom. I knew if he started crying I would too, so I scooted out before he could think about it too much.



I did almost lose it when I saw this though. Harper was so sweet with him this morning. I think she is excited to have her brother at school with her now.

This time around has been so different. I am so glad he has Harper to look after him.

Miller's Birthday Party

We had a full blown out birthday party for Miller this year. He decided he wanted to have a water party in the backyard. He invited all the kids from his class, plus all his cousins and the neighbors.

Here's Miller on his actual birthday.

We ended up with 18 kids at the party and there was no major drama. Yea!!

We had sprinklers, water guns, and ended the party with a water balloon fight.

All of the birthday party pictures were taken by my sister and brother in law. Thanks guys!!!

There were tons of photos, but I don't like to show photos of other people's kids unless I get their permission.

One party down...one to go. Harper's birthday is Saturday and she is having her party at the Skate Center. Woohoo.

Once all the birthday craziness settles down, hopefully I can find some time to sew.

Happy Birthday Miller

Dear Miller,

I really can't believe you are 5 today. You have grown up so much this year. You have accepted the fact that you are starting Kindergarten in the fall, even though I haven't yet. The last few weeks you have become so independent. You want to do EVERYTHING yourself. You are stubborn. Things have to be done a certain way or it drives you crazy. You are still sensitive and have the most tender heart. Your feelings are easily hurt, which always breaks my heart. You are thoughtful, give compliments freely, and always think to ask about our day. You want to know how to spell every word that pops into your mind. You can spell all of your color words and can even spell and recognize several sight words. You love to help around the house. When asked to help with a chore, your answer is always sure. You are content as long as someone is nearby to keep you company. You love your sister very much. In fact you love her so much that if she is not paying attention to you, you do whatever it takes to get her to pay attention to you. You really enjoyed playing baseball this year. I hope you won't be as timid about trying other sports now. Although you are still shy and soft spoken around people you don't know well, you are starting to learn to speak up.

I want you to know that I am so proud of you. I love you all the way across the ocean up to the moon and back. I hope you have the best birthday ever.

Love,

Mom

A Day in the Life- The Questions

I know I have been negligent with my A day in the life posts, but I haven't forgotten about them. After listening to the non-stop stream of questions coming from my soon to be 5 year olds mouth, I decided to start writing some of the good ones down. Then I decided they would make a perfect A day in the life post because his questions are very much a part of every day.

Miller in the car waiting in the car pick up lane at Harper's school. The car is where most of his questions are asked.

That boy sure is inquisitive. And yes I swear every question he asks begins with "Mom......"

"Mom, where would I be if I was gone?"

"Mom, what does B-something-something-O spell?"

"Mom, do tarantulas eat worms?"

"Mom, is that the same truck that we saw in Louisville?"

"Mom, are birds faster than cars?"

"Mom, why does that car have a dent in it?"

"Mom, (then there is silence, I look in the rearview mirror and his lips are moving, but no sound is coming out.) guess what I just said?"

I love that his mind is always whirling. I hope he never loses his inquisitive nature.

Our Little Slugger

We have been trying to get Miller interested in some sort of sport or activity for awhile now. He finally decided to give baseball a try. Here are some photos from his first game.

Yes, his ears are tucked into his hat and his pants are two sizes too big. I am not sure what is up with that smile either. It is how he smiles for me now. Ugh.

Warming up before the game. Mitch is one of the coaches.

Miller's first time up to bat. He used the tee the first game. They can use a tee or have the coach pitch to them. The coach pitched to him last weekend and he hit the ball to the fence.

He is really having fun. I am so glad he finally found something he enjoys. He also wants to play football, but I am not too sure about that. I guess we should get through baseball season first.

Miller's Self Portrait

Miller has never been too interested in drawing or coloring. So I always get excited when Miller comes home from school with a piece of artwork that he obviously spent a little time on.

I love his self portait. He even colored blond hair. I am not sure what happened to his arms, but let's not get caught up in the details. He is also doing really well writing his name.

Notice all the people have belly buttons. How cute is that?

This is a person in the doorway of a house.

We are still not convinced that Miller is right handed. He was switching back and forth between his hands when he would draw for the longest time, but he has finally settled on his right hand. He likes to bat left handed and throws better with his left hand so who knows? I think he would probably write better left handed, but he prefers to use his right hand. Maybe he will be ambidextrous.

Team Up Thursday- Play

This week Cara and I chose the theme play. On Monday we had to drop off some books at the library, which is right next to an old school. So there is a little playground and a ball field. Mitch brought the tee and some balls so Miller could hit the balls in a wide open space.
Miller has been asking to play baseball. He doesn't have any interest any soccer, which he is old enough to play. He should be able to play baseball next year though.

Can't you feel the love in Cara's shot. I love the carefree feel of the photo. She captured the moment perfectly.

If you want to play along with Team-Up Thursday head on over to Mental Inventory.

Miller and the Forgotten Owl

I was driving to work yesterday morning and I remembered that I had also finished this owl over the weekend. I totally forgot to include it in my Crafty Tuesday post. Since I have not picked up my camera all week, I decided to have a little photo session on the front porch while we waited for Harper's bus to arrive.

You may remember (or probably not) the faceless owl hanging around in this post. For some reason, I decided to finish the owl this weekend. It took all of 10 minutes to finish so who knows why it took me 9 months to do? Harper promptly claimed the owl, but I think the terms might be negotiable. She likes to play with the owls that were in Stuffed Magazine. She was playing with the owls and realized that this one was missing something. First she wanted her to have earrings. Then she changed her mind and decided a peace sign would be better. So a peace sign it was. I really liked how it all came together. Maybe I should post the pattern or tutorial. What do you think?

Since I had my camera out and my adorable son was outside with me, I snapped a couple shots of him too. He sure can try my patience and warm my heart all at the same time. How is that possible? Maybe it is those beautiful blue eyes?

Happy 4th Birthday Miller

I can't believe my little boy is 4 today. We had a party for him on Saturday night. I know last year I said that this was going to be the year that Miller gets a class party, but obviously I lied. I decided a couple of weeks ago that we were going to do a family only party. Miller requested a bowling party so we convinced the family to go bowling with us.

Then we had everyone back to our house for pizza and cake.

I made 2 cakes from scratch. I am not the best baker, so this was quite an accomplishment for me. I have issues with following the directions exactly, which is pretty important when you are baking. So I made sure I had ALL the ingredients and actually followed the directions. It worked pretty well. Mitch once again did the decorating.

My sister-in-law's birthday was yesterday so we celebrated her birthday too. She requested this cake. I like to think it is healthy.

Happy Birthday sweet boy.

Running, Fishing, and Gymnastics

+++++WARNING+++++Parental Boasting will occur multiple times in this post.

For several weeks, Harper has been anticipating her mile run (which actually ended up being a half mile) at school. Let me to tell you she is one competitive little girl. The day before the race they ran during gym class. Harper ran so hard that she felt like she was going to be sick and had to visit the nurse. I tried to convince her that she didn't have to run full speed the whole entire time, but I could not convince her that pacing herself was a good idea. The day of the race we went to the school to watch her in action. She started in the second group of kindergarteners and steadily passed her classmates. She was the very first kindergartener to finish. I was so proud of her determination.

Yes, her shoelaces are untied and she is holding her headbands.

My proud little runner finishes school in less than 2 weeks, which means I will have a 1st grader. Can you believe it?

Miller has been asking to go fishing for several months now so we ventured out on Sunday for a relaxing day of fishing.

This is Miller's smile. Very natural looking don't you think?

It was actually cool out and felt like Spring.

I love this photo of my two favorite men. Cheesy grin and all.

Harper has been taking gymnastics all year long. Halfway through she was ready to quit and really wanted to take karate. We encouraged her to stick with it. At some point during the year something clicked and she has mastered everything they were teaching in her class. During the end of the year evaluation, the coach asked if she would be interested in the development team. Of course Harper was SO, SO excited, but this means 2.5 hours of practice each week. Yikes. That is a big commitment. We are going to try it for the summer and see how it goes.

Have I mentioned that I sure do love those two kids of mine?

More Kiss Me Shots

Here are a few shots I took of Miller on Wednesday when I was trying to decide on a shot for Team Up Thursday. Eventhough these did not make the cut, they were too cute not share. This little boy is stubborn, hard headed, ultra senstive, and all boy. I love him with all my heart.

I love seeing the progression of these shots. In the shot above he is holding up the necklace so I can see it.

Harper gets involved in the photo shoot. She tells him to smile for me, which he does so obediently. The fake smile wasn't really what I was looking for though.

I ask him to just act normal. This is what I get. Well, actually that is about right. This one is a pretty normal Miller look. Silly little guy.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Sweet Precious Sleep

The weather has cooled off here and so it has been cooler in the house at night. I think this has helped the kids sleep better at night. I have been having to wake them up every morning. It is one of my least favorite things to do. Sleep is so precious and I hate interrupting it. However, some mornings it just has to be done. Miller was so sound asleep this morning that I pulled all the covers off of him, turned on his lamp beside his bed, and he did not move a muscle. So I did what any normal mom would do. I went and grabbed my camera.

Look at his smooshed up lips.

Big dog assumes his position over Miller's head. This is where Big Dog always sleeps.

I could hear his little breaths and he was so warm from being snuggled up in bed. Aren't they just precious when they are asleep?

Overheard Conversations and Water Fun Photos

Overheard Conversation:

Let me set the scene for you. We are all in the kitchen. A bug runs across the floor. Miller alerts us and Mitch kills the bug.

Harper: What kind of bug is that?

Mitch: I don't know.

Harper: Is it a roach?

Mitch: No. It's some sort of crazy jumping bug.

Harper: Is it a millipede?

Mitch: No. It's not a millipede.

Miller: Maybe it is a harperpede. (Miller thought Harper was poking fun at him by calling the bug a millipede. I was quite impressed with his quick wit.)

Harper exits the room to grab a book so she can show Miller that there really is a bug called a millipede and she is not making fun of him. She returns with the book and the two of them go into the living room to look at the book. Mitch and I are still in the kitchen.

Harper: Look Miller here is a millipede. It has 139 legs. And this is a grasshopper. It has 3 hind legs so it can jump real high.

Oh, those kids. What did we do for entertainment before them?

Now here are some fun water photos from last weekend. Yes, Miller was pouring water over his own head. It's amazing how much fun they had with a baby pool full of water and 2 cups.

I know Miller looks emaciated in this photo, but I promise I feed the boy and he does eat!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday Millerman

(Poor Miller fell at school on Friday and scraped up his nose)

Dear Miller,

Three years ago today you made your speedy entrance into our lives. I can't say that you approach everything at lightning speed, although you sure can run fast. You tend to proceed with caution especially when trying something new, which does not bother me one bit. You are a little shy when you are in a crowd or around people you do not know. Eventhough, I like to think you are a mama's boy you sure do love your daddy too. You are his right hand man in the yard or on the lawnmower. You are always right there if we need help with anything.

You are very much into anything related to cars, fire engines, trucks of all kinds, and motorcycles. You love to play ball and couldn't wait to turn 3 so you can play soccer just like your big sis. You have sprouted up like a weed. People always comment on how tall you are for your age.

You have such a warm and tender heart. I can't get enough of your hugs and kisses. I truly can't remember life without you in it. You are and always will be my baby. I feel so blessed to have you in my life.

Happy Birthday Little Man.

Love,

Mom